


Playdate

by havsgast



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Deceit is Remus' Caretaker/Mum, M/M, Virgil is an asshole and he doesn't even realise, mentions of injury, rated for remus mostly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2019-09-05
Packaged: 2020-10-10 19:05:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20533052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/havsgast/pseuds/havsgast
Summary: Roman comes over to the Dark side to visit Remus. He is happily surprised when Deceit opens the door.Creativitwins sibling bonding, Roman being a romantic, and a surprise visit from Virgil.





	Playdate

**Author's Note:**

> I've been posting this over on tumblr, but I just finished the last part, so now I'm posting it here as a oneshot!
> 
> Didn't edit it so I have no idea if the flow is actually good.

It was well-known that Patton was seen as the dad of the Light sides, and it was a badly kept secret that the Dark sides saw Deceit as their mum, but there wasn’t many that knew that Roman enjoyed being Remus’ brother. It was the one familial bond that hadn’t been chosen in the Mindscape, and with them being on opposing sides it was rarely spoken of. Roman enjoyed playing into the dramatics of it, and Remus did as well, with them both being Creativity.

They rarely spent any time together outside of the Imagination, as neither Patton or Virgil wanted the Others to come to the Light side, and Roman did not want to visit the Dark side alone. Logan had accompanied him a few times in the past, but it was not easy to get Logic to agree to come. Asking Patton or Virgil was out of the question, so Roman had looked towards the lesser-known sides. The ones that didn’t see themselves as Light or Dark.

The Neutral ones kept mostly to themselves or sought out the company of Figments such as Sleep from Thomas’ short videos. Roman wouldn’t have known of them if not for Sleep enjoying gossip. He didn’t know how many Neutral sides there were, but he only needed the company of one of them.

Stimulation.

It was mere chance that they had met, Stimulation lingering near the Light after Virgil’s anxiety had gotten to him, and therefore to Thomas. If Roman had been any slower, he would never have gotten to known the Neutral side. Stimulation only ever got close to the Light when Virgil’s anxiety got too much. Roman was still not sure if Stimulation wanted to help or if he was upset over being affected. Of course, he didn’t know much about Stimulation at all, besides that the side existed and was one of the few to enjoy Remus’ company.

That’s why they were meeting up now. Roman had promised to play with his brother, and Stimulation had agreed to come with. What Roman hadn’t expected was to be met by a 10-year old child instead of the 30-year old man. While they could shapeshift within the Mindscape, most of them stayed looking the same as Thomas did in the real world, only dressing and styling themselves differently.

“I’m not an adult today,” was the only explanation that Stimulation gave. “Come on, I wanna play with Remmy.”

“Okay, Stimmy,” Roman agreed, and held out a hand for the other to take.

Stimulation looked at it warily for a moment before taking it. They walked hand in hand toward the Dark. It would have been quicker to simply rise up in Remus’ room, but it was also rarely a good idea to appear there. You never knew what you might rise up to.

If pressed, Roman would also admit that it was because he hoped to run into Deceit while visiting his twin brother. The deceptive side had been on his mind since the courtroom, but they had yet to run into each other in the Mindscape. If he didn’t know better, he would think that Deceit was avoiding him. Actually, that could very well be the case…

He had tried asking Remus about the deceptive side only once. It had been a memorable occasion, which taught him a lot more about snake anatomy than he had ever wished to know. It had also flustered him quite badly, as Remus had no filter and a very active imagination. Roman had sworn then to never ask his brother about Deceit again unless he had a very specific question.

“Roman, we’re here,” Stimulation interrupted his thoughts, tugging on his hand.

They were indeed there - with there being the door that separated the Dark from the rest of the Mindscape. Roman knocked, as the door was sometimes locked. It felt weird, knowing it was the only door that tried to keep people inside.

He heard the door being unlocked, and then took half a step back as it pushed open. If Remus was the one to open it, he could expect either a mace to be swung at him or his brother to jump at him. If someone else opened it… well, better safe and sorry.

What he hadn’t expected was for Deceit to open the door, with a 12-year old Remus clinging to his legs.

“I definitely expected to host a playdate today,” Deceit greeted them, having glanced down towards Stimulation.

“May we come in?” Roman asked, ignoring that Remus had already dragged Stimulation deeper into the Dark.

“Make yourself at home,” Deceit answered, and stepped aside.

Remus got up to enough trouble when he was an adult, and Roman didn’t want to imagine what his brother could get up to when in the mindset of a child. While Stimulation was usually calm, Roman did not know him enough to assume that the Neutral side would still be calm as a 10-year old. It was therefore with some trepidation that he followed Deceit through the Dark side.

When they entered the living room, it was to the scene of Remus sitting in a kiddie pool full of some sort of green goo, with Stimulation sitting next to him with both hands submerged in the substance.

“Jell-O?” Deceit asked, his tongue having flickered out between his lips.

“Stimmy likes the texture, mum,” Remus explained, with a wide grin. Roman noted the gap in his front teeth. When did Remus lose a tooth?

“As long as it stays in the pool,” Deceit sighed. “We don’t want to have to explain the mess to Orange again, do we?”

Remus didn’t answer verbally, but both he and Stimulation nodded fiercely to show that they understood. Deceit smiled at them.

“Does this happen often?” Roman asked. No one over on the Light side ever spent time as a child so far he knew, and he had no idea how it worked.

“It feels easier to be young sometimes,” Deceit said. It wasn’t an answer, but Roman decided to not press. “Now, I know you came over to babysit so you can stay if you want to.”

Roman puzzled over the sentence for a moment, before he realised that Deceit offered for him to leave.

“My brother is not the only one whose company I enjoy,” he started carefully. “I enjoy yours too, Deceit.”

“Then, may I offer you anything to drink, Prince Roman?”

His cheeks flushed at the use of his title. It contrasted awfully with Remus loudly declaring that he wanted squid ink, and that Stimmy wanted raspberry juice.

“I’ll have the same as you, my Pretty Little Liar.”

Remus made gagging sounds in the background. Deceit’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, but his expression was replaced with a pleased smile as he left for the kitchen.

His bravery leaving as suddenly as it had arrived, Roman sunk down on the sofa to watch over as the children played. He was a bit thankful that his brother hadn’t overheard his flirting comment as an adult.

“Are you gonna fuck my mum?” Remus asked, jello somehow gotten stuck to his hair in the minutes since Roman last looked at him.

Roman didn’t even try to formulate an answer to Remus’ question. He and his brother balanced each other out in strange ways, like Roman being a greyromantic demisexual, and Remus being both hyperromantic and hypersexual. It made for lots of explicit thoughts from Remus during their late-night talks of love and crushes, while Roman much preferred the idealisation of romance. If anything, he was only slightly disturbed that Remus would ask him that while a child.

“Get it off,” Stimulation suddenly spoke up, waving his hands frantically. “Get it off, get it off, get it off-!”

Roman straightened to act, but Remus had already gotten rid of all the jello with a snap of his fingers. Well, all of it except what had gotten into his hair. Roman decided to be merciful enough to clean his brother with a grand sweep of his hand.

“Was it too sticky, Stimmy?” Remus asked, worrying his lip between his teeth.

“I’m going to go wash my hands,” Stimulation answered, as he headed towards the kitchen, past Deceit.

“I don’t think something hydrophobic would be better next time, Remus,” Deceit mused. He had all six arms out, using four of them to carry glasses and the last two to adjust his clothing. Both the hat and the capelet had been removed, making him look the most relaxed that Roman had ever seen him.

“You could have asked for help,” Roman said, as he took the wineglass that Deceit handed him. He could appreciate a fine red.

“Thanks, mum,” Remus mumbled as he took the offered sippy cup. Roman wasn’t sure if it was actually filled with squid ink or not, but he didn’t particularly want to know either. He had to remind himself that Remus regularly ate deodorant.

“Is this too many arms for you, Roman?” Deceit asked, his eyebrow raised and his tone sounding like an innuendo. Roman was glad he had already swallowed the sip of wine.

“Or not enough?” Remus asked, talking around the straw of the sippy cup.

Roman was very glad that he wasn’t his brother right now, because his mind was full of thoughts on how six hands could be used for overstimulation, especially if paired with a blindfold. Not knowing Deceit well enough to feel sexually attracted to him didn’t stop his mind from wandering.

“…Roman?” Deceit looked slightly worried now. Roman cleared his throat. He should probably respond.

“Any amount of arms you want is perfect, My Fair Liar.”

“I do hope all your nicknames won’t refer to me as a liar in some way,” Deceit sighed, and sat down next to him on the sofa.

“I’ll try to be more creative, Les Mystérieux.”

“Oh, do our prince know more than English and Spanish?”

“El Misterioso wouldn’t have been a pun on Les Misérables,” Roman explained with a sheepish smile. His French was far from being near as good as his Spanish.

“I agree that I’m a man of mystery,” Deceit answered and took a sip of his wine. He handed the last glass that he was holding to Stimulation, who had just returned and was now sitting down on the floor next to Remus.

It was strangely domestic. Roman decided that he liked it.

The peaceful feeling of domesticity didn’t last very long. Remus had been moving his shoulders with restless energy as he waited for Stimulation to finish his glass of raspberry juice. The moment that the glass was empty, Remus bounced to his feet.

“I need to move,” he declared and spread his arms out to start spinning in circles. He kept glancing expectantly at Stimulation, who was fiddling with the hem of his sweater.

“What do you want to do, Ira?” Deceit asked, two arms ready to catch Remus if he were to fall, but his eyes on the Neutral side.

“I want to sort colours and shapes,” Stimulation admitted quietly. Roman knew better than call him by his name without permission, so he pretended to be distracted by Remus’ spinning.

“Remus, can you play alone? I’m sure your brother would play with you if you asked.” Deceit shot Roman a glance, but he wasn’t able to read into what it meant.

Actually, he didn’t get any time to respond before he found himself with an armful of Remus, who excitedly talked his ears off about playing a game together. It was amazing that he didn’t drop his glass.

“What do you want to do, little duke? Slay a dragon?” Roman suggested with a smile. It was nice to be with his brother like this. When they were both adults, there was less working together and more duelling each other. He wondered if they could have been more like this if not for the split.

“I want to catch a Kraken!” Remus exclaimed and tugged him off the sofa. Roman handed his glass to Deceit as he was tugged in the direction of Remus’ room.

“Be back before dinner!” Deceit called after them. “And no injuries, Remus!”

When they enter Remus’ room, it only resembles a bedroom in the vaguest definition of the word. There are definitely four walls and a bed, but the ceiling seems to be missing as open sky spreads out above them, and the bed is floating as the floor has been replaced by open waters. They’re standing on a pier, a boat attached to it and waiting for them.

“We could have gone to the Imagination,” Roman commented as he looked around. Remus had done a good job, but it was a bit cramped considering they were going to attempt to capture a Kraken.

“Do you not like it?” Remus’ voice was surprisingly wobbly, and Roman felt awful when he saw tears gathering in his brother’s eyes.

“I love it, little duke!” Roman was quick to assure him. “I was just worried about ruining your bedroom if the Kraken proves to be a challenge.”

“You’re telling the truth?” Remus squinted at him before breaking out in a toothy smile. “Mum fortified my walls so nothing can destroy them, not even a Kraken!”

“You have a very clever mum.” Roman’s cheeks heated up at the admission. It was good that Deceit wasn’t there to hear him.

“Do you have a mum?” Remus asked. He tilted his head to the side, slightly too much for it to be cute. Roman was almost worried about his neck.

“No, but I have a dad,” Roman answered, as he thought of Patton. If Deceit was the mum and Patton was the dad, then had they ever… no. Nope. Not going there. He didn’t want to think about Patton with anyone ever, and he didn’t want to think about Deceit with someone else.

“Is it fun to have a dad?”

“I think that depends on the dad, little duke, but yeah. I have a good dad.”

Remus nodded. It looked like he was thinking over something very hard, and Roman wondered if he should be worried about the direction the conversation was taking. Even if Remus was a child, it felt all too… simple for his brother.

“Then if you fuck my mum, you can be my dad.” Remus looked very proud of his reasoning, and he was looking up at Roman expectedly.

“Uh, well, I’m already your brother, Remus,” Roman tried awkwardly. Should he be flattered? He really wasn’t sure what was going on in Remus’ mind. “And you would have to ask your mum, yeah? Maybe Deceit is happy being a single mum.”

Where was a Kraken when you needed one? Roman had had many uncomfortable conversations with his brother, but this was the first time he truly wished that the ground would swallow him up. It would have been one thing if Remus was an adult… having this conversation with a child was something else.

“You should make mum a bouquet out of the Kraken’s tentacles and ask if he wants to fuck!”

Roman swallowed back any comments he had about Remus’ fixation on sex and instead thought over the idea of presenting Deceit with a bouquet. Perhaps not one made of tentacles… would Deceit enjoy roses? Or would he have to delve into the language of flowers?

The sound of waves hitting the pier draws his attention to what until now had been an eerily quiet body of water. It seemed like the Kraken had grown impatient. Roman summoned his sword into his hand and stepped further out onto the pier. Behind him, Remus had summoned his mace as well.

“What’s the plan, Remus?”

“Throw me onto the Kraken and I’ll gorge it’s eyes out!”

As if on cue, the Kraken’s head broke through the water. Roman reached behind him for Remus’ arm, and as instructed, yeeted his little brother at the Kraken. It wasn’t the worst plan they’ve ever acted on.

Remus screamed in delight as he flew through the air, his mace held ready to smash into one of the Kraken’s eyes.

There is no sense of time passing in a battle. It always feels like an eternity until it’s over, and it feels like it all went by far too quickly. This time is no exception, although Roman suspects that Deceit would have come for them if they missed dinner. Still, an hour or two must have passed at the very least.

Remus is walking in front of him, clothes covered in blood and carrying an armful of tentacles. Roman thinks his brother is planning to give them to Deceit on his behalf, but he’ll let it be since it’s oddly sweet all things considered. Unlike Remus, he has already cleaned any blood off his clothes as well as dried himself. Unlike Remus, he is also injured. A tentacle had caught his arm and broken the bones before he had time to cut it off from the Kraken. It hurts, but healing has never been one of his specialities. Usually, he would go to Logan for such things, as Logic knew the most about anatomy. If he tried himself or went to Patton for assistance, the bones would likely be set wrong.

Had Remus been an adult, Roman would have asked him. His brother had always held more interest in the workings of the human body than he did and was often the one to patch both of them up after one of their adventures ended with injuries. Remus would probably still try his best if Roman asked, but it wasn’t just a couple of breaks - it was at least a dozen. The Kraken had had a strong grip. It’s through pure willpower and his acting skills that he doesn’t show how much pain he is in.

Trying to act in front of the deceitful side was perhaps not his brightest idea, Roman realised as Deceit only needed to take one look at him as they entered the living room. Any trace of blood on Remus had vanished, the tentacles were presented in a lovely vase in a corner of the room, and Roman was sitting on the sofa as Deceit fretted over his arm before he had time to even blink.

“I explicitly told Remus no injuries,” Deceit sighed, as he carefully rolled Roman’s sleeve up.

“And Remus is uninjured,” Roman couldn’t help but point out, a small, almost teasing smile on his lips. “You never said anything about me, Sir Hiss.”

Deceit hissed at him as response and Roman broke out in a fit of laughter. _Oh, how adorable…_ He was pleased to see that Deceit’s cheek has turned a lovely shade of pink.

“Adorable, am I?”

Ah. He had said that out loud. His own cheeks heated up at the realisation. It must be the adrenaline and the pain; he usually had a much better brain to mouth filter than this.

“Oh, do go on Prince Roman. Tell me more about how adorable I am.” The way that Deceit looked at him was almost expectant, but the curl of his lips implied that he was only teasing. Roman wondered if he paid too much attention to Deceit’s lips. He barely noticed that his arm had been healed, until Deceit withdrew.

It felt as the world rushed back in as their faces were no longer close enough to breathe the same air. Roman cleared his throat and turned his attention to Remus, who had been acting out their adventure to Stimulation.

“The Kraken was blinded in both eyes and the tentacles were everywhere! They were really hard to climb because they were wet - what do you think a dry octopus feels like, do you think it would shrivel up? I ended up underwater but Roman saved me before one of the tentacles could come down on me! It kept trying to catch us to crush us or maybe it wanted to eat us, but we were too fast! Roman cut the tentacles off with his sword and I distracted the Kraken with my mace - it was a lot of fun. You should come next time, Stimmy!”

“Maybe if we befriend the Kraken,” Stimulation answered. He was still sorting shapes and colours, but he had looked up at Remus sometime during the retelling. Remus was jumping around and gesturing wildly as he explained how red the water had turned from the Kraken’s blood, an excited smile on his face.

“I think dinner is almost ready,” Deceit said, an egg timer going off as he stood up from the sofa. “Will you help me set the table?”

Roman nodded. There were very few things he wouldn’t do if Deceit asked him, he came to realise.

It didn’t take long for the two of them to set the table, as Deceit made use of his multiple hands to get plates and glasses out from the cupboards. Roman took the things that Deceit handed him and set them down on the table. There were enough plates for five persons, but he figured that the side referred to as Orange might join them.

Considering that this was the only time that he had met Deceit in the Mindscape, it was no surprise to him that he knew nothing about the third resident of the Dark. There could be even more Dark sides - Orange was simply the only one he had heard mentioned. He hoped that there weren’t, because while Remus was his brother, and he had come to accept both Virgil and Deceit, they were still considered Dark for a reason. Nevermind that he had coined that term; he knew that Virgil referred to the Neutral and Dark sides with the umbrella term Others. There was something unfair about that when combined with Patton and Virgil not wanting any of the Others to visit the Light.

He was brought out of his thoughts by the wonderful scent of food. Deceit had opened the oven to take out whatever treat he had made for dinner; which had been left to cool in the turned-off oven as they set the table. His stomach grumbled in response, a reminder that he hadn’t eaten since that morning. He had left before he could be called for lunch, as he otherwise would have been questioned by Patton on where he was going.

“I hope you like cornbread taco bake,” Deceit said as he placed the dish on the table. “I would have made something more extravagant if I knew you were joining us.”

“There’s no need to go all out on my behalf,” Roman assured. While he had never had cornbread taco bake before, it sounded very much like the kind of thing that Patton would serve. A thought better not voiced.

“Perhaps another time.” Deceit turned to look at him consideringly. “If you were willing to spend time with me instead of your brother.”

Roman opened his mouth to answer, but none of the smooth lines he thought of wanted to be spoken. He knew his cheeks were red by the way they felt heated, and it was truly unfair how much Deceit managed to fluster him. Especially as he still weren’t sure if Deceit had been actively trying to avoid him before now. He wanted to ask about it, but then a gloved finger slowly pushed his chin up - effectively shutting his mouth.

“Don’t want you swallowing any flies, my prince. You haven’t been turned into a frog,” Deceit teased. “I’ll get Remus and Ira, you can sit down.”

Roman sat down as Deceit told him to if only because it felt like his knees might give out otherwise. He wondered if Deceit’s scales were as smooth as his lines. If he had scales in other places. What would Deceit look like without a shirt, the sun highlighting his scales and his skin bathing in the soft glow-

“Hey, Princey.”

Roman’s head snapped up. Nothing could have prepared him for the sight of Virgil sitting casually by the Dark’s kitchen table, hoodie hanging off one shoulder, showcasing pale, scarred skin. He had never seen Virgil not properly wearing his hoodie, especially not when wearing a tank top.

“Virgil,” Deceit said from behind him, having just entered the kitchen. “Definitely expected to see you again. What aren’t you doing?”

“You mean this fifth plate wasn’t for me? How you wound me, Dee.”

“…do call me that.”

“I thought you would happy to see me,” Virgil drawled lazily as he leaned back in the chair, one foot resting on the seat so that he could draw his bent leg against his chest.

Roman bristled at Virgil’s hypocritical behaviour. How dare he show up uninvited here when he would never allow Deceit or Remus to visit the Light? He would have drawn his sword on behalf of the Dark sides, but this was not his fight. Besides, Deceit was more than capable of taking care of himself.

“You have made it clear that you want nothing to do with me. With us.” Deceit bared his teeth, and his words came out as a hiss.

“Mum,” Remus interrupted. Roman had completely forgotten about him and Stimulation. “Is Virge back to stay?”

“No, he was about to leave,” Deceit answered, a hand resting comfortingly on Remus’ head.

“Not going to offer me to stay for dinner, Dee? How rude.”

“May I remind you that you left us, Anxiety?”

“I guess _absence makes the heart grow fonder_ doesn’t actually work,” Virgil sighed. “I left because I loved you, Dee. Actually, I still do.”

“Wait, what about Patt-” Roman started to ask, only to find himself silenced. Deceit looked apologetically at him but made no move to let him speak.

“You don’t hurt the ones you love, Virgil. You don’t leave and then act like they were the ones to hurt you. You’ve made your bed, and now you have to lie in it or rip off the sheets - but I doubt you came here to apologise.”

Deceit’s words echoed in the kitchen. Virgil flinched, although it would have been unnoticeable had Roman not been watching him warily. He could see Remus miming cutting the air with scissors out of the corner of his eye, probably trying to make a joke for Stimulation but knowing better than to speak.

“What do I possibly have to apologise for?”

It felt as if everything came to a still after Virgil asked that question. If someone dropped a pin to the floor, the sound would have echoed in the resulting silence. Roman barely noticed that he once more could talk; he was too focused on the broken look on Deceit’s face.

“You…” Deceit trailed off; as if he tried to collect himself but failed. “You truly don’t know why you should apologise? Why what you did was wrong?”

Virgil rolled his bare shoulder in a mockery of a shrug. Roman was no longer sure if Virgil meant his actions and words to seem so self-centred and nonchalant; to seem as if he didn’t care about what other’s thought of him. In fact, didn’t that contradict everything Virgil stood for? Shouldn’t Anxiety care too much about what people thought?

“Virgil.” Deceit seemed hesitant, as he carefully weighed his words on his tongue before continuing to speak. Roman wished to comfort him. “Your attitude isn’t acceptable. You can’t push us away and expect us to still like you. You’ve made it quite clear that we’re not friends, that you want us nowhere near Thomas, so you have no right to invite yourself into our home.”

“I was trying to prove that I was independent so that you would stop treating me as a child!”

“And you thought the best way to do so was to ignore and hurt us?” Deceit asked, his voice thick with the disbelief that he must be feeling. “For _years_ you pushed us away, and then you make yourself known to Thomas without consulting me. _They could have hurt you!_ I was so scared for you, but you refused to talk to me, and then one day you ducked out. You ducked out, and then they came to get you, and you abandoned us without a word. When I finally see you again half a year later, you outright tell me that we’re not friends. I had hoped to mend our friendship, but no. Do you even remember what you said about me to Thomas? That I can’t be trusted. How is any of this proving that you’re independent?”

“I might have taken the fight-part of flight or fight a bit too literal.” It didn’t sound very apologetic or regretful - rather it sounded as if Virgil tried to justify his actions.

“You don’t think?!” Deceit gave a weak laugh; it sounded choked - like he was close to tears. “This is the one thing you don’t get to blame on your anxiety, Virgil. The next time I see you, you better come with an apology and better behaviour. Until then, you’re not welcome here.”

“But you’ll let me come back if I work on bettering myself?” Virgil looked hopeful.

“I said that, didn’t I.”

“Then just you wait, Dee! Next time you see me, I’ll be someone that you can love as an equal, instead of as a child.”

“That’s not- Whatever. Just leave, Virgil.”

“Sure. It was nice to see you again, Remus. See you later, Princey.”

“Uh, wait, Dr Gloom, could you maybe not tell anyone that you saw me here?”

“I won’t say anything if you don’t,” Virgil promised and sunk out just as suddenly as he had appeared.

Roman took a deep breath before he turned to Deceit, who looked as if he just barely kept everything together. Next to him, Remus was holding Stimulation’s hand in an attempt at comfort. Where Stimulation had been 10 years old before, he now looked no older than 5. Roman’s heart ached for him - Virgil’s presence must have been distressing. He wished he could have done something besides just sitting there. Not much of a prince was he… but he shouldn’t dwell on that now. No, right now his main priority was Deceit’s wellbeing.

He stood up and carefully manoeuvred Deceit to sit in the chair he had just occupied. With that done, he conjured a booster seat for Stimulation. Remus helped Stimulation sit before taking his own place. Lastly, Roman filled their glasses with water and re-heated the food. It wouldn’t taste the same as when it had come out of the oven, but at least it was warm.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Deceit said quietly.

“I’m just glad you didn’t face him alone. Now… Dinner has been ready for quite a while. We should eat.”

Deceit gave him a weak, but thankful smile. Roman smiled back. He wouldn’t leave before Deceit was back to himself again.

“POOP!” Remus screamed, having been quiet for far too long.

The inappropriate outburst eased up the lingering tension. Roman watched Deceit’s shoulders finally relax with a sense of relief. He had a bone to pick with Virgil later for almost ruining an otherwise good day, but for now, he had only one goal: keep a smile on Deceit’s face. It would be his most important quest yet.

“That’s not an acceptable subject for the dinner table,” Deceit reminded. He grabbed Remus’ plate to serve him food.

“Sorry, mum.” Remus looked sheepish. “I just! So many words! And thoughts! Being quiet is the worst and I would much rather be forced to eat a spider - what do you think it would feel like if a spider crawled down your throat? They have so many legs and they’re hairy-”

“Have you told your brother about your new pet yet?” Deceit interrupted gently. Remus straightened in his seat, a wide, toothy smile on his face.

“Roman! Roman, Roman, Roman! I found a caterpillar and it reminded me of Alice in Wonderland and how they can be really big or really small, so I made the caterpillar really big! Bigger than a train! It has so many legs and it’s so fun to ride and it can climb mountain walls! It curls around my tower like a dragon but it’s better than a dragon because it’s a giant caterpillar!”

“Better than a dragon?” Roman repeated, his hand dramatically placed over his heart. “I don’t believe you! A dragon can breathe fire, that’s much more impressive.”

Remus grinned.  
“What if it was a fire-breathing caterpillar!”

And just like that dinner turned into Roman and Remus arguing about what was better: giant fire-breathing caterpillars or dragons. Deceit looked on fondly and made sure that everyone remembered to eat. Stimulation stayed quiet, but listened intently and would nod rapidly when he agreed with something.

What Roman had expected to be an awkward dinner turned into great fun. He was so involved in the argument that he barely noticed when they had all finished eating. He just followed when Remus sprinted into the living room and threw himself on the sofa, as he was in the middle of arguing that a caterpillar wouldn’t be able to fly which was just another reason that dragons were superior.

“Roman, Roman, Roman, guess what! Guess what!” Remus bounced in his seat, not caring that he had interrupted what Roman had been saying. Roman sighed fondly and smiled at his brother.

“What, Remus?”

“It’s movie time!”

“It’s a good way to let him wind down before bed,” Deceit explained, having entered the living room after snapping away the dirty dishes. He carried Stimulation against his hip, the Neutral side nibbling on his thumb.

Roman nodded. He wondered how often Remus was a child - Deceit seemed to have everything under control as if it happened regularly. Or maybe Remus wasn’t actually that much different as an adult, just more vulgar and violent.

“What movie are we seeing, little duke?”

“Oh, can we see Monster House?”

“That might be too scary for Ira,” Deceit pointed out. “Do you have any other suggestions, Remus?”

“No, I want to see Monster House,” Remus demanded, his arms stubbornly crossed over his chest as he glared at Deceit. “Monster House, Monster House, Monster House-”

“Do you want to see Monster House, Stimmy?” Roman asked. He knew that Remus would continue until he got what he wanted otherwise.

“If Remus protects me from the scary.”

“I’ll always protect you from the scary stuff, Stimmy,” Remus promised.

“Monster House it is then,” Deceit sighed and put Stimulation down on the sofa before sitting down himself.

With no other option, Roman found himself sitting next to Deceit. The movie started with a tired gesture towards the TV from Deceit. Having never seen Monster House before, Roman settled in to watch. He wondered if Deceit would be willing to protect him from the scary stuff.

For all that Roman liked to make a show of being a brave prince, he did easily get scared outside of the Imagination and his pre-planned Quests. He is not embarrassed to admit that he spends most of the movie with his face hidden against Deceit’s shoulder - who wouldn’t when watching a movie about a house that’s alive and wants to eat children? He lives in a house!

It unnerves him a lot to glance over and see that Remus has managed to fall asleep, Stimulation held protectively against his chest. How many times must Remus have seen this movie to be able to fall asleep halfway through and stay asleep? Deceit hadn’t seemed faced either by the events of the movie, but Roman assumes his brother has forced the deceitful side to watch it more than once. You do get desensitised to things after a while, no matter how awful. There’s a reason that he can slay beasts during his quests without flinching at the bloodshed. Would he become desensitised to Remus’ intrusive thoughts and darker creative outlet if they spent more time together? Was Deceit desensitised to it?

“Your brother is definitely awake, so you have a reason to stay here.” Deceit turned off the movie and looked questioningly at him.

Roman would have loved to stay, but he had been gone for hours… While Virgil had promised to not mention that he was visiting the Dark, that promise might get broken if Patton got worried enough. He didn’t quite trust Virgil to keep the promise - not when Virgil had something to gain from making it harder for him to visit Remus and Deceit in the future. Roman couldn’t help but frown as he remembered that Virgil also held a romantic interest for Deceit.

“A penny for your thoughts?” Deceit’s lips were turned up, just the slightest hint of amusement. Roman blinked; he must have been staring.

“Just wondered if I should try to move Stimulation out of Remus’ arms so that I could take him back,” he evaded. Deceit raised his eyebrow knowingly but didn’t comment.

“It’s no problem for Ira to stay the night. You, on the other hand…”

Roman sighed at the reminder. He would never be able to be gone a whole night without outright lying to Patton, and for as much as he enjoyed Deceit, he didn’t enjoy lying outside of the theatre.

“Be a gentleman and walk me to the door?” he asked hopefully as he rose from the sofa.

“I knew you couldn’t get enough of my company,” Deceit responded. If not for the surprised look on his face that he hurried to cover up, Roman would have thought that Deceit was telling the truth.

They had been almost flirting before Virgil had shown up. Had that unwanted visit been enough for Deceit to forget that Roman liked him? Or was Deceit putting up an act? Roman wished he could tell lies from the truth just as well as Deceit did, but Creativity was a lot more focused on believing lies than seeing them.

“We really don’t spend enough time together,” Roman chose to say, pushing his thoughts aside. He much preferred being in the moment.

“You still want to spend time with me?” Deceit asked, his guard down and tone honest. “I thought Virgil’s little visit would have made you change your mind…”

“Why would I let Virgil get in the way of our friendship?” Roman paused his steps to look at Deceit.

“Because- because I was weak?” The words sounded unsure.

“You’re allowed to be weak, Deceit. Trust me, it’s impossible to be strong all the time.” He started walking again. They were almost by the door.

“You don’t understand. Being weak mean that they can take advantage of me, and I’m the only one keeping the Dark sides in the dark!”

“Then I’ll be your knight. You’re not alone, Deceit. I will help, and Remus would if you told him. I’m sure Logan would be able to help as well.”

“You’re too good for your own good, Roman.”

“I’m only good to the people I like,” Roman said with a gentle smile. They had reached the door, both of them coming to a stop.

“Oh…” Deceit glanced away for a moment. “I like you too.”

Deceit pressed a kiss to his cheek. It was soft and unsure, and it made his heart skip a beat. Roman let himself be pushed out through the door, as in a daze. He lifted a hand to where Deceit had kissed him, watching as the door closed in his face.

Roman broke out in a smile. Deceit liked him! He couldn’t contain his giggles as he started to walk through the Mindscape, back to the Light side. It felt as if he was walking on clouds. Deceit liked him, Deceit had kissed his cheek!

Feelings of love bubbled in his chest. He couldn’t wait until the next time that he would be able to get away to the Dark.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed!
> 
> I'm not too sure what to write next. I have a Thviceit Mythology AU and a Hogwarts AU, or I could do something else.  
If you have a prompt or a suggestion, let me know! I'm loveceit on tumblr.
> 
> Also check out my other AO3 fic Roman, Virgil, and Deceit Too if you like Roceit! It has abusive Patton though, so you've been warned.


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